NEC Bluefire works with Scala or Webpavement

Guess what folks - the NEC Bluefire computer that was designed for digital signage works with Webpavement's Sign Host Player or the Scala IC3 Player. You do have a choice!

Choosing the Webpavement or Scala software is a user preference // similar to the preference of using a MAC or a Windows PC.

A recent press release caused a stir up to digital signage providers such as Webpavement. A letter was quickly crafted to clear things up by NEC's Pierre Richer – Vice President, Visual Systems Division.

We look forward to working more closely with NEC.

Here is the letter from NEC.
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MEMO
From: Pierre Richer – Vice President, Visual Systems Division
Re: NEC’s Recent Signage Announcement
Date: August 22nd, 2005

Many of you may have seen a recent press release from NEC outlining a partnership with a specific software company to serve the in-theater-advertising segment of the digital signage market.

This announcement caused a great deal of confusion among our channel and signage partners.
This memo will hopefully clear up the following points.

This press release has nothing to do with the Visual Systems Division.The press announcement was released by one of our sister divisions and is focused exclusively on the in-theater-advertising market.The charter for this sister division is to create a network of in-theater advertising outlets. They will not be serving any advertising opportunities outside the theater market.

The Visual Systems Division works with a wide range of software partners to create digital signage solutions. The Visual Systems Division works with all qualified signage companies and we encourage our customers and channel partners to work with their preferred vendor. We also provide an extensive list of vendors to those customers or channel partners that do not have a preferred partner. This allows them to research all the options and make their own decisions based on their business needs.

Industry Analysts Bullish on Digital Signs

The billboard business may be worth $8 billion to $9 billion, according to New York-based Harris Nesbitt analyst Leland Westerfield, who rates Clear Channel shares "outperform."

This comment comes off the heels of the announcement of Clear Channel's anticipated $350 million billboard IPO. *

More Importantly..

Sales and profitability of billboard ads probably will increase as the industry shifts to digital boards that can flash ads for many companies, rather than traditional displays that present a single ad, said David Bank, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets in New York.

Webpavement is a technology company ready for the shift to digital advertising boards. Contact us to learn about our value proposition for your outdoor firm.

* It should be noted that Clear Channel will retain a controlling stake in the new public company.

Clear Channel Outdoor IPO

Clear Channel is in the midst of a corporate restructuring, including an initial public offering of its fastest-growing and most profitable operations: outdoor media. While total revenues declined 1 percent to $2.46 billion during the second quarter of 2005, Clear Channel's outdoor advertising sales rose 7.0 percent to $684.5 million. The outdoor media growth was most pronounced in the U.S., where Clear Channel is the largest supplier of outdoor advertising.

The company announced plans to file an IPO for Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings on Wednesday, which should provide more details about the outdoor sector's performance.